Why Papa Loves Mama
by littlemisshappytart
Summary: For Miu Saionji, her Papa is the best Papa in Heiomachi. Why ever not? He's handsome, intelligent, skilled in cooking, and he loves Miu. So why did her cool Papa fell in love with her clumsy Mama? Got to ask him, right?


Disclaimer: I do not own Daa! Daa! Daa!

Title: Why Papa Loves Mama

Author: littlemisshappytart

Summary: For Miu Saionji, her Papa is the best Papa in Heiomachi. Why ever not? He's handsome, intelligent, skilled in cooking, and he loves Miu. So why did her cool Papa fell in love with her clumsy Mama? Got to ask him, right?

XOXOXOXOX

It was a humid evening at the Saionji temple and the family has just finished dinner. With Miyu currently washing the dishes, Kanata and Miu decided to eat icecream under the moonlit sky.

Sitting comfortably next to each other, Miu stared up at her Papa and hesitantly tugged at his shirt. Something was bugging her for days now and she knew it is the perfect time to satisfy that curiosity.

When Kanata looked down at her, her heart warmed with love. Indeed he has the most beautiful eyes, as her Mama says. She knows that her Papa may assume different expressions – be it bored, smug, angry or serious – but his eyes are always honest. It is one of his good qualities she truly admires.

Lost in the moment, Miu blurted out. "Why do you love Mama?"

Amusement flashed in Kanata's eyes before he answered albeit automatically. "Because she lets me tease her constantly."

Totally disappointed, Miu pouted in an expression very similar to Miyu's. "Neh Papa, is that a serious answer?"

"What do you think?"

"Papa!"

"Look! Your icecream's melting."

Miu quickly diverted her attention to her icecream and gobbled it. Then she stubbornly looked again at her Papa.

Kanata passed her his own icecream before sighing in resignation. "Okay, okay. But why do want to know anyway?"

"Because…" Miu fidgeted, "well, just because."

A moment passed, then Kanata pat his daughter's head. "Where do you want me to start?"

Miu smiled sweetly and looked at her Papa with anticipation in her eyes. "Please tell me when you first realized you love Mama."

Kanata wrinkled his nose. "Geez, you do know it's a trial for a _father_ to talk about _this_ with his_ daughter_, don't you?"

"Yes, but it's not enough excuse to change the topic."

"Now you're being a tyrant like your Mama." Miu narrowed her eyes. "Well, I didn't know exactly when. Maybe between the time she started living here and the time I thought she's leaving."

"But that's rather abstract."

"I know… but that's love. It's supposed to grow within one's heart."

Not knowing what to make of it, Miu just scooped on a spoonful of icecream and ate it. "I guess."

Seeing the unsatisfied look on his daughter's face, Kanata felt the urge to console her. "Here, let me tell you a secret."

Miu's eyes suddenly perked up. "What is it?"

"Between me and your Mama, I can guarantee you that it's me who fell in love first."

"Really? How did you know?"

"That's a secret you have to find out for yourself."

"Papa! You shouldn't have revealed it in the first place if you won't follow it with an explanation."

"But where would the fun be if I tell it all to you? That's why there's challenges, sweetheart."

"Now I can understand why Mama grumbles on not ever winning against you. Anyway let's move on."

Kanata leaned forward and satisfied himself by eating some of Miu's icecream while mumbling, "And here I thought we're already finished."

"We're just starting!"

Kanata scooped again on some icecream. "As if I have a choice. Well then, ask away."

"How long have you and Mama been together?"

"Do I really have to answer that?" Miu pinched his cheek. "Ow! Alright, it must have been close to well, 18 years with gaps in between."

"Gaps? How come?"

Kanata gestured nonchalantly. "Because contrary to what our friends tell you, Miyu and I weren't always a couple. We did break up sometime before college."

Miu surprisingly started crying.

"Hey baby what's wrong?" Kanata asked in alarm.

"I thought…_sniff_…I thought you and Mama have the perfect relationship."

Kanata sighed and held his daughter's hand. "Miu, listen. There's no such thing as a _perfect_ relationship."

"But…"

"But it's exactly the _hang ups_ that, somehow, make a relationship work."

"Really?" Miu voiced hopefully.

"Well, I'm not telling you it's better to have more hang ups…what I mean is that they're inevitable. People are their own individuals. Therefore we sometimes tend to misunderstand each other's words and actions."

"Is that why you broke up? Misunderstandings?"

"No. We broke up because of our insecurities."

"You did not." Miu said with disbelief.

"As absurd as it sounds, it's actually the truth. At that time, Miyu and I have been together for four years that people started thinking like we are one word. They all expect us to get married at once, which really, is an idea Miyu and I decided better not entertained until our mid-twenties. But our family and friends became only more persistent that without knowing it, our fights began to be more serious. That's when we both decided to give the relationship a breather and go separate ways.

"Still, we went to the same university. That's when your mother started to, should we say, bloom. Under you Aunt Nanami's influence, she started modeling and some of her shots even appeared on magazines."

"She did?" Miu wasn't aware of that.

"Yes," Then Kanata's face dimmed. "Eventually, she became popular and suitors came swarming about her like bees to a hive."

"You were jealous!" Miu said accusingly, pointing her spoon to Kanata.

Kanata smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "And sad, because I realized she really doesn't need me all along."

"You can't possibly believe that, Papa!" Miu scold. "Mama says she always relied on you ever since she lived here."

"You really think so?"

"Yes!"

Kanata laughed. "That certainly boosts my ego."

"But how did you get her back?"

Kanata smiled arrogantly. "I'm good with strategies."

Something tells her that she better not ask further so Miu changed the topic. "But Papa, you said you broke up with Mama for some time. Does that mean there was someone else besides Mama?"

"Where are you getting all these questions? I ought to be stricter to you."

"Papa!"

"Okay. For the record, as soon as the notion that our relationship's finally over sank in, I regretted it immediately. So no, there was none."

"How about Aunt Akira?"

Kanata didn't expect that. "Akira?"

"Mama says that Aunt Akira was your first love."

Kanata felt he had to laugh. "Well that may be true, but it's actually Akira who made me realize that what I felt for her is no more than a love for a friend."

Miu stirred the now-melted icecream in her cup until she frankly said, "Now that you mentioned it, I think I won't be angry if I knew you and Aunt Akira had something in the past."

"Why not?"

"Because Aunt Akira's beautiful, more ladylike, more mature…and she cooks deliciously!"

Kanata grinned at her. "I believe you just insulted your Mama."

"No," Miu returned the grin. "I just love Mama so much I can overlook some of her _minute_ faults."

Kanata rumpled her hair. "Smart brat."

"So tell me, Papa, what are the qualities you love about Mama?"

Kanata put down his hand and looked at her sheepishly. "This is getting embarrassing."

Miu impatiently tapped her spoon on the cup. "Answers, Papa. I need answers."

"Hmmm. For one, she's fun to tease." Kanata replied with a straight face.

"…"

The next thing he knew, some cold and sticky ice-cream landed on his cheek. "Hey!"

Unable to restrain herself much longer, Miu _pfft_ then hilariously laughed at her Papa's expression.

So she didn't notice that her father had already got a hold of her right wrist with the intention of using Miu's palm as hanky.

Now some of the cold and sticky icecream was successfully transferred to her. "That's gross!"

Laughing himself, Kanata finished the impromptu game by placing some icecream at the top of Miyu's nose. "That's better."

Not willing to lose herself, Miu wiped the icecream down her father's shirt. "_That's_ better."

Kanata looked down at the mess then chuckled. "It can't be helped. Miyu will surely scold us."

"You're the only messy one here, Papa."

"Don't be so sure of that if I were you."

Miu immediately inspected herself then groaned upon seeing two huge and visible palm marks on her skirt. She set aside her icecream cup then sighed. "Let's just continue."

"Where were we?"

"You are supposed to _seriously_ elaborate on the qualities that endeared Mama to you."

"Hmmm…I'll just _seriously_ think." Kanata even closed his eyes and actually looked like pondering on the answer.

When he opened his eyes, Miu prompted, "Well?"

"Miyu's instinctively loyal." Then he looked tenderly at his daughter. "Once she puts all her trust into you, you're dumb if you won't cherish it.

"She's also most unselfish. She knows how to share. Being with her, you'll realize you're missing on a lot of things you previously thought you're not.

"She's never pretentious. When I'm with her, I can be true to myself. It's also because of her that I discovered more about myself than the time I still don't know her.

"Most of all, and I _seriously_ mean it this time, Miyu's fun to be with. You'll never expect every day to be the same as yesterday. Most of the times, even just being near her makes me feel content."

Miu edged closer to sit at her Papa's lap and hug him with all the love she can muster. Truly, who could be any luckier than her? She has the best Papa in the world simply because he loves his family so much. And for her, that's all that matters.

"I never took you for a romantic, Papa."

"I have my moments."

Miu chuckled. "Then maybe the _moment_ we see her, you can give her a kiss to demonstrate this romantic side of yours."

Kanata grumbled. "I knew you'll be the death of me from the first time you wailed your way to this world."

"Yet you still love me."

"I know. I must be really crazy."

Leaning back to look at her Papa, Miu vowed excitedly. "I promise you, Papa. When I grow up, I'll find someone like you."

Kanata kissed the top of her head. "Not too soon, I hope. Not if I can help it."

Miu then playfully kissed her father in the cheek several times eventually making him laugh.

"Does Mama get one of those?"

They both turned to where the voice came from and saw Miyu with a huge smile on her face.

"Mama!" Miyu squealed before looking at her Papa meaningfully.

Kanata, who surely got the _meaning_, rolled his eyes and stood them both up. Then sending a wink to his daughter, he purposefully walked towards Miyu.

"What have the two of you done?" Miyu asked upon seeing the mess her husband and daughter are in.

Kanata glanced down at his shirt then sent Miyu an innocent smile. "Oh this? We just played with icecream."

Miyu shook her head but still smiled at their silliness.

"Papa!" Miu called out.

Kanata looked back at his daughter and saw her with a raised brow. "Alright, alright."

Miyu then curiously asked. "What's that?"

Instead of answering her, Kanata swiftly cupped both of her cheeks then leaned down for a kiss.

When he pulled back, Miyu dazedly touched her cheeks then jerked when they felt sticky. "Ewww!"

She shot Kanata a warning look before chasing him with the purpose of tearing that smug smile from his face.

Miu, who was happily watching her parents' antics all the while, decided then to join the fun.

That time, she realized she didn't have to ask her Papa afterall why he loves her Mama.

Because well…just because.

XOXOX _Owari_ XOXOX

I miss my Papi… Anyway, hoped you enjoyed this fic!

READ AND REVIEW. Click on the lonely pleading link at the end of this page to do so. *Wink*

Also, read my other fics please? Arigatou.


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